Colette of Corbie

About Colette of Corbie

Colette was a French Poor Clare who reformed the order, returning it to strict observance. A carpenter's daughter, Colette tried various religious orders but found them lax. After years as a hermit, she received a vision to reform the Poor Clares. Despite opposition, she founded 17 reformed convents. Her reforms spread, creating the Colettine Poor Clares. She lived with extreme poverty, prayer, and penance. Colette experienced mystical visions and the stigmata. She died in 1447 and was canonized in 1807.